Into the Wilderness

It is a little more than a week before I leave to go to Houston. While there we will be in the inner city working for the Mission Centers of Houston with a largely Hispanic population with kids day camp, food distribution, clothing distribution and more. I don't exactly know how everything will work out but I am really excited about it.
I think it is rather odd though how I ended up in this position. I think back to the Interview weekend for SendMeNow missions back in early February. All of the collegiate summer missionaries that were a part of SendMeNow, which is a collegiate summer missions program through the Georgia Baptist Convention, went to this camp for the weekend over the woods of Carrolton, Georgia. Then, we had various devotions, discussion groups and interview sessions. Then at the end of the weekend you pick the destinations that you want to serve at. You can order them up to eight. I only chose six because those were the only ones that I was interested in. Then the BCM leaders, camp owners, and missions staff at these places meet and decide where each person should be for the summer. Some trips are short and some are really long.
I still think it strange how I was chosen for Houston. My other five choices included North Carolina mountains, New Mexico Mountains, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canon National Park and Alaska wilderness. These are all rather remote places. However, I am placed in Houston. I remember getting the call and being told I was chosen for Houston and I was surprised. I do not know why since it was my third choice but I was nonetheless. I had so much doubt about myself and my abilities. How could I relate to these people? Houston is the fourth largest city in the country! It is only behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
 This is where God is so wonderful. I didn't realize it until I sat here this morning in the kitchen at my house that God has been using this semester, ever since I found  out in early February, to prepare me for this urban ministry! It dawned on me  that this gradual progression of thoughts and feelings were all a result of God working in my life. It is so funny to me because at the beginning of the school year I really couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that there were more people in my dorm than my high school back home. As the year progressed I became more and more comfortable in what was a pretty large step up to live in Athens. Many of you that are from Atlanta or other large cities may think of Athens as a small town but for me it was over ten times larger than my hometown. Then, I began to think about how much I loved to be around people. Why did serving in such an isolated place such as Yellowstone or Alaska make sense when I thrive on being around a lot of people? Now, don't get me wrong there are great times to be by yourself. I love going out into the woods and feeling like great adventuring explorer, but people are where the true value lies!
So, now looking back I am so glad for God and his omniscience. He has everything under control and can make a better plan for me than I could ever make for myself.
Now, I just can't wait to get to Houston!!